Really Maura?
by H.B.Rooke
Summary: Short fic based on Season 1 Episode 2.  Super Quirky Maura, Fun look with a little Rizzles Payoff. Read and Review
1. Chapter 1

"We need another body for Homicide." Korsak called to Jane across the squad room with his palm over the receiver of hid phone. "Or we forfeit."

Jane looked slightly panicked as she surveyed the room. It was the end of the day, and there were few people there. She had hoped that this year was going to be different, that this year they might actually have a chance to win, and now to forfeit on a technicality made Jane mad. Every year Grant got ringers to play for Narcotics and other units either lost interest in playing in the softball tournament, or just plain lost. Jane was going to be damned if Grant won the cup again this year because Smitty's wife went into labour.

"Tell him we will be there ready to play" Jane called out, knowing Grant would not go for it. Korsak simply looked at her incredulously.

"He wants the names Jane."

Jane panned the room again hoping something new would have materialized to solve her problem. As if by divine providence, Maura stepped off the elevator and crossed to Jane's desk. Jane looked at Korsak, whose look doubled in incredulity.

"Homicide needs a body Maur," Jane said, as Maura sat down. "You are off tomorrow, would you please help us out." Jane implored, trying to muster her best dejected look.

"You need a body from the Morgue? For what?" Maura was taken aback and having trouble making sense of Jane's request.

"No," Jane smiled, realizing her mistake. "We need another person to play on Homicide's Softball team. We have enough to cover the field, but the rules say we have to have eleven players show up tomorrow morning, or we forfeit, and Smitty's wife just went into labour."

"Can't you just postpone the game?" Maura asked, innocent of the competition and vitriol surrounding the tournament.

"Just say you will do it and I will make it up to you."

Maura had realized in recent weeks, that she was thoroughly incapable of denying the detective anything. All Jane had to do was ask and turn her soft, beseeching eyes onto the doctor, and she could have anything. This time was no different.

"Oh, ok, I guess it would be interesting to take part in such an exercise of camaraderie and athleticism." Maura agreed.

"You hear that Grant!" Jane yelled, so that Korsak wouldn't have to repeat the message through the phone. "Isles is our eleventh name, you are going to have to actually beat a real team to win the cup this year." Jane was triumphant. "Thanks Maur, and I mean it, I owe you, and I will do what ever you want to make it up to you."

Maura squelched the entirely unprofessional thought that shot to her mind and changed the topic of conversation. "So what should I wear to a softball game?" Maura asked earnestly?

"Well I don't think we will be able to get Smitty's shirt from him, so just wear what ever."

"Now Jane, that is not an answer. I really would like to know what is considered appropriate for this type of athletic event. If I don't have something than I will have to go out and purchase it tonight." Maura crossed her arms to support her point.

"First off, it's a softball game, not an athletic event." Jane kindly chided. "And secondly, please don't go out and buy anything. You wont have to play so your role is going to be to cheer us on, ok. Really, what ever you have will be fine." Jane smiled at her friend and wondered why it was that everything this woman did, however peculiar or infuriating, Jane found down right adorable.


	2. speed

That night Maura stood in her closet and surveyed all of the athletic garb she possessed. The jacket and knickers she wore for fencing were immediately ruled out as too bulky. Her delicate leotards were more utilitarian, but not appropriate for outdoor use. That left her with her running clothes or her speed skating attire. Maura reached for the phone and dialed Jane's number.

"Hey Maur, what's up?" Jane asked as she picked up the phone.

"Well I was contemplating what to wear tomorrow and was hoping to get your opinion."

Jane rolled her eyes and tried to keep the smile out of her voice when she replied, fighting back the urge to ask, 'What are you wearing?'

""What are your choices Maur?"

"Well I have narrowed it down to my running or my skating attire." Maura stated.

"I guess I would say running." Jane said, but then thought better of her answer. "Wait Maur, are you one of those who wears only spandex to run?" Maura's silence was all the response Jane needed. "Yeah, scratch that. This skating stuff, no pads or glittery costumes, or anything like that, right?"

"No Jane, I neither figure skate nor participate in ice hockey. My skating clothes are completely functional and constructed to allow for free movement, and optimal forward momentum. It is actually quite interesting how the fabric..."

"Ok, ok, I get it, it sounds fine." Jane cut Maura off, not wanting to sit through a fifteen minute lecture on the weave of sporting attire. After all she was only there as a body and a bench warmer. "I'll meet you at the field at eight."

The following morning Jane was feeling excited at the prospect of actually giving Grant a run for his money. This year they actually had some decent players and had managed to practice a bit before the tournament. She was still pissed at Grant for finagling Crowe onto his team. Sure, he had been assigned to Narcotics for part of the prior year, but it was not like he was really working there. He was on limited duty on a desk assignment while he recovered from botched Lasik. It was a cheap excuse to get him on the team, but Crowe was all too happy to jump ship if it meant being on the winning team. Jane was all that much more determined to kick their collective asses.

Jane lounged on the bleachers with her coffee waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. After her most recent run in with Hoyt, she had promised herself that she would try and appreciate life a little more, and this morning she was appreciating the the sun as it warm her body in the early morning air. She stretched out and closed her eyes, breathing in the rich aroma of grass and hot earth.

A shadow fell across Jane's face and she opened her eyes to see who was interrupting her peace.

"Good morning Jane." Maura's voice floated through the air as Jane sat up, eyes trying to adjust to the bright light.

"Hey Maur." Jane smiled. The doctor was just about the only thing that could make the moment more enjoyable, that and a fresh cup of coffee.

"Coffee?" Maura set a steaming cup down next to her friend, then joined them on the bench.

"Wow, if your not a cyborg you are certainly a mind reader." Jane hungrily reached for the proffered beverage. It was at this point that Jane actually registered what Maura was wearing, and promptly forgot about the coffee. "I thought you said you were going to wear skating clothes. What is that?" Jane flicked her hand at Maura.

"It is a body suit, used by speed skaters to reduce wind resistance, while providing optimal range of movement. It is constructed of..."

"Really Maura?" Jane was appalled but at the same time she couldn't help but notice how the suit accentuated the doctor's body. She wanted to chastise her friend for being so completely out of touch, but instead

"What? I specifically inquired as to the appropriate dress code for this contest and you assured me that this would be...fine I believe is the word you used." Maura used irritation to cover the fact that she was afraid that this day's efforts would be another failed attempt to assimilate to the social norms of her peers.

Jane saw the worry in Maura's eyes and moved quickly to fix the problem that was entirely of her own making.

"Nah, you look fine. I just don't think everyone is taking the game that seriously, that's all." Jane moved closer to Maura and bumped the woman's shoulder with her own. "I mean, aerodynamics? We are lucky if half these guys can calculate their overtime rate."

Relieved, Maura leaned into Jane. "Okay, you had me worried there for a moment."


	3. figurative urge

Jane felt something shift inside her when Maura's head dipped and rested on her shoulder. She slipped her arm around the doctor, and gave the woman a gentle hug. She wanted to protect Maura, to make her laugh, to show her the all of the things she missed, and let her know how wonderful she was. Instead, Jane closed her eyes and reestablished distance between them.

Korsak and Frost were making their way toward the field and Jane hopped up to go meet them.

"I'll be right back." Jane said as she squeezed Maura's knee. Maura smiled in return and watched the retreating form of her friend. Jane's lean body was taut and tan and powerful, and only a fraction of what the doctor found so appealing about the detective. Maura had never had a friend who she had felt so comfortable around. Someone who didn't judge or demand, and whose allegiance Maura never doubted. Before she had met Jane, Maura would never have stepped outside her comfort zone like this, an attempted and experience like this. Jane just made life easier.

Jane met her team members as they arrived.

"Listen up, Maura volunteered to be our eleventh because Smitty's wife had the baby last night, so she did us a favor. If I hear a single word about her outfit I will personally neuter the one who says it." Jane glowered as she spoke the last words, underscoring their meaning.

She remained by the parking lot and intercepted Grant and he pulled in.

"Hey Rizzoli, come to surrender before we clobber you?" Grant smirked, as hey took a cut with the bat in hand.

"Shut it Joey!" Jane snatched the bat and pressed the end into Grant's chest. "I am only going to say this once, anyone on your team so much as snickers at Maura today, I will fuck them up so bad their own mothers won't know them."

"Geeze Janie, what the fuck?" Grant sent his arms up in surrender

"I mean it Joey, one word and Narcotics is gonna have a whole bunch of gimps."

"Alright, take a Midol will ya?"

Jane tossed the bat at Grant, striking him across the chest in payback for his final comment. If anyone upset Maura today, Jane was ready to bust heads, and ironically, it wasn't a figurative urge.


	4. the kiss

The softball game was interrupted by a body plummeting into the outfield. Though Grant was much chagrinned by the prospect of having to call the game, they had played four innings and, thanks to Maura's hit, Homicide beat Narcotics by a run. Over the course of the following week Jane and Frost hunted down a serial strangler lose in Boston, and after a false start, zeroed in on the killer.

"Maura? Check it out, can you run this...blood?" Jane walked briskly into the morgue and looked up to find her new prime suspect holding a gun to her best friend's head. Her blood ran cold.

"You are a good cop." Leahy sputtered.

"For a girl." Jane sized up the situation and realized the panic in her chest has nothing to do with the gun pointed at her, and everything to do with the fact that a murderer had his hands on Maura and that she was in danger.

"Now, the gun, put it down and kick it over there." Leahy was desperate.

Jane reached for her side arm and slowly withdrew it from its holster. She knew that this was absolutely the wrong thing to do, but she could not let this monster hurt Maura.

"Don't do it Jane!" Maura knew too, and saw how easily Jane broke protocol.

"Shut The Hell Up!" Leahy barked.

Jane looked at Maura. She was scared, but Jane saw that she was processing everything that was going on in the room. As girly as Maura may be, Jane knew the doctor was far from helpless. Jane complied with Leahy's orders, and hoped that Maura could read her plan in their fleeting glance. They had only a moment to get it right.

In an instant it was over. Maura jabbed Leahy's leg with a scalpel and Jane had followed up with a few hard hits with an aluminum bat.

"Home run" Maura breathed.

"That was just a base hit." Jane smiled, relieved that Maura was safe. She knelt down and placed her cuffs on the injured man. "Are you okay?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." Maura was shaken but not hurt.

"Could you call Korsak?" Jane asked, as she pulled the man up off the floor. "Have him notify Grant and call a bus."

Maura crossed to the phone and called up to Homicide to relay what happened and request the ambulance for Leahy. He was going to have to be treated before they could process him.

In no time the morgue was filled with uniforms and EMTs. Jane briefed Frost and Korsak and made sure the crime scene techs bagged everything. When her presence was no longer useful, Jane excused herself to go find Maura.

Jane checked Maura's office and when she didn't find the doctor, she walked down the hall to the small locker room.

Maura stood, leaning against the bank of lockers, pressing her forehead against the cool metal surface. She had remained in the autopsy suite to give her statement, but had retreated to the confines of the locker room as soon as she could get away. Maura had had many experiences in her life; some exhilarating, some thrilling and some even mildly fear inducing. But nothing had prepared her for the unadulterated terror that she had just lived through.

"Maur, are you in here?" Jane asked as she pushed open the door. She saw the smaller woman shaking, barely able to stand, and rushed to her side.

Maura's eyes focused on Jane, as the detective's strong arms enveloped her. She thought she should be embarrassed to be seen in such a state, but mostly she was relieved.

"You must think I am hysterical, going to pieces like this." Maura said into Jane's neck while trying unsuccessfully to reclaim control of her own body.

"Nah, you just had a shock Doc. It happens, you know, fight or flight." Jane's tone was low and soothing, her usual raspy voice a gentle rumbling in Maura's ear. She felt the smaller woman relax into her arms and pressed her lips against Maura's forehead. "You'll be ok, but I'm sure you know that."

Knowing something intellectually and feeling it practically are two separate things. As well aware as Maura was of effects of over stimulating the pituitary and adrenal glands, at that moment, she just needed reassurance. Maura slipped her arms around Jane's waist and savored the peace this woman brought to her life.

"Thank you, Jane." Maura whispered into Jane's ear.

The doctors soft lips brushed against Jane's cheek as she spoke. Jane felt her breath catch in her chest. Their closeness sent Jane's senses into overdrive and made her acutely aware of Maura's body in her arms. Jane leaned into the doctor's words, feeling Maura's breath flutter across her cheek. She knew she should step back, but could not bring herself to let go.

"You're welcome," Jane returned, letting her lips linger on Maura's temple. "More than you know."

Maura wanted to know, she wanted Jane to know the depth of her own feelings. before fear or judgement could intervene, Maura turned her head and kissed Jane's cheek just beyond the edge of her mouth. She didn't know where the courage came from, but Maura could not stand the thought of letting this moment pass.

Jane turned and looked down at Maura, in doing so brushed her lips across the doctor's. Jane felt a current of electricity radiate through her body. She searched Maura's eyes for a sign of reticence and found none.

"What are we doing?" Jane breathed and she brushed her lips across Maura's again.

"I want...I want to kiss you Jane." Maura's voice barely audible above the sound of her breath.

Jane's heart was banging against her chest as she leaned in and took Maura's lips with her own. They were soft and sweet and made Jane hunger for more.

A small moan escaped Maura's mouth. She fell completely into the kiss, returning Jane's fire with her own.

Jane's want nearly overcame her senses, as she pushed Maura back against the lockers.

"This is probably not a good idea." Jane said as her hands found their way inside Maura's trench coat. "You're my best friend."

Maura kissed Jane's neck and laced her fingers through the detectives hair.

"And we work together." Maura whispered, before delicately tracing Jane's ear with her tongue.

"We should probably stop before we do something we will regret." Jane husked, as she savored the taste of Maura's skin.

"You have a point." Maura pulled back and searched Jane's eyes for a long moment. She saw what they both wanted and how easy it would be to take it. But the possible consequenses were too much for either woman to risk. She gave Jane one last impassioned kiss, then ducked out of her embrace before she lost her will. "I'll meet you at the Dirty Robber later."

Jane watched her friend leave the room and wondered where they could ever go from here.


End file.
